Cattle Terminology:
The term “cow” refers only to the mature females of the bovine population.
As a herd they are cattle (plural) but in English there is no word for
all genders in singular. Calves are young cattle (their first year)
and are either heifer calves or bull calves. Heifers are young females
that have not calved. First-calf heifers are heifers who are expecting
or have their first calf at side, usually at 2 years of age (in production
herds) or at 3 years of age (in smaller, slower maturing breeds). At
some time (usually when 1st calf is weaned) before she has her second
calf, she becomes a young bred cow. Males are bulls, and when castrated,
then steers.

Taurine cattle are descended from the Eurasian aurochs, while Zebu cattle
are descended from the Indian aurochs.

Cattle are domesticated ungulates
(hoofed animals with two toes on each hoof). Bovidae include ruminates
with paired, hollow, unbranched horns that do not shed, and with an
even number of toes. This family also includes Gazelles, Antelopes,
Sheep and Goats. Other Bovidae that are so closely related to true cattle
that they can interbreed include the bison and yak.

With the exception of a small
population of cattle in southeast Asia, most domestic cattle are descendants
of wild oxen known as aurochs (above right: Augsburg artist antique
depiction of an aurochs). Aurochs were a species of wild cattle
which evolved in India about two million years ago. They were said to
be formidable creatures, strong and fearless, huge in stature, with
bulls measuring as much as six and a half feet at the shoulder, and
weighing 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lbs) with very long horns. Aurochs went
extinct in 1627.

Cattle were first domesticated
in southeast Turkey around 10,500 years ago.

The word “cattle” comes from the Old
French “chatel,” as in chattel, meaning property. In many parts of the
world, cattle remain an indicator of economic wealth.

Today, the closest living relative to the original
Aurochs
may be the Wild Cattle of Chillingham (more at bottom of page)
source: ChillinghamWildCattle.com/beasts

Cattle Breeds

North
American cattle inventory: All cattle and calves in the
United States and Canada combined totaled 106 million head on January
1, 2018, up 1 percent from the 105 million head on January 1, 2017.
All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2018, totaled
94.4 million head, 1 percent above the 93.7 million head on January
1, 2017. All cattle and calves in Canada as of January 1, 2018, totaled
11.6 million head, up 1 percent from the 11.5 million head on January
1, 2017. The world cattle inventory went down
in 2017 (from 1.3 billion) to 998.3 million head,
with about 30% in Asia, 20% in South America, 15% in Africa, 14% in
North and Central America, and 10% in Europe.

Cattle Breeds:There are an estimated 920
different breeds of cattle world-wide.
The 10 states in the US with the largest cattle populations are Texas,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky,
and Florida. There are numerous breeds of cattle raised in North America.
Heritage breeds have been around for centuries, while newer breeds have
been developed in recent decades by mixing older breeds. New breeds
start out as composites (crossbreeds with purpose), and after several
generations (usually 5 or more) their DNA becomes set to a predictable
uniform kind of cattle, and a new breed is established. Each breed is
characterized by its own distinct genotype and phenotype; that is, its
own unique genetic DNA, its history, its purpose (beef, dairy or dual-purpose)
and other traits it was developed for such as specific survival traits
(regional resistances & adaption), size, temperament, color, horns,
markings, hair length, etc.

Classifications:
There are two domestic cattle breed classifications: Bos taurus and
Bos indicus.

Bos t Taurus Cattle Breeds:
List
of Bos taurus (taurine) cattle | Beef2Live.com | Jan 30,
2018
Bos taurus (or Bos taurus taurus) are the typical cattle of Europe,
northeastern Asia, and parts of Africa, and are also are referred to
as "taurine" cattle. Many taurine cattle are adapted to cooler
climates. There are two sub-groups of Bos taurus cattle: English (or British)
breeds and Continental (or European or Exotics) breeds.

British
breeds are typically moderate, efficient sized breeds. English
breeds are the foundation of the United States beef herds, and include
Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn.

Continental
breeds or exotics, originated in Europe. They are larger
in size, lean, muscular, and can tolerate hot climates. Continental
breeds include Charolais, Chianina, Limousin, Simmental, and Salers.

Bos t Indicus Cattle
Breeds: List
of Bos indicus (Zebu) cattle | Beef2Live.com | Jan 27,
2018
Bos Indicus Cattle, sometimes known as humped cattle or Zebu cattle,
are a type of domestic cattle originating in South Central Asia. Zebu
are used as draught oxen, as dairy cattle and as beef cattle, as well
as for by-products (hides, dung for fuel, manure for fertilizer, etc).
They are characterized by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping
ears and a large dewlap. They do well in hot humid climates; they are
well adapted to the stresses of heat, humidity, parasites, and poorly
digestible forages. They are used throughout the tropical countries,
both as pure Zebu and as hybrids with taurine cattle. Bos indicus breeds
are often found in the southern United States. The most common bos indicus
breed is the Brahman and its American composites (Brangus, Beefmaster,
Simbrah, and Santa Gertrudis). Miniature Zebu in America are a naturally
occuring (nature-made rather than man-made) small breed with no genetic
dwarfism. The Mini Zebu does best in warmer climates. The Miniature
Zebu has been used by breeders in the south to develop Miniature Cattle
composite breeds while avoiding dwarfism DNA (found in Dexters).

When scientists mapped
out the bovine genome in 2009, they discovered that cattle have about
22,000 genes; 80 percent of their genes are shared with humans.

Cow: Adult female
that has produced a calf
Bull: Male animal
Steer: Male animal that has been castrated and cannot breed
Heifer: Young female that has not produced a calf
Veal: Calves that are raised to 475-500 pounds

The meat from cattle
is called beef. The average American eats about 65 pounds of beef each
year.

Cattle produce about
25 billion pounds of meat each year.

The combined value
of the cattle and beef industry is $200 billion.

Over 98% of the beef
animal is used when it is processed. About 45% of the animal is used
for meat and the rest is used for other byproducts including leather,
china, glue, film, soap, pharmaceuticals, insulin, gelatins.

“Cows are excellent
recyclers,” says Dr. Mark Alley, DVM, a professor of bovine health
at North Carolina State University. “A lot of byproducts in the
manufacturing of things like beer, candy bars and potato chips, which
would otherwise end up in landfills, are actually an excellent feed
source for cattle.”

The hide from one cow
can make 144 baseballs, 20 footballs or 12 basketballs.

In an average herd,
there is 1 mature bull to every 25 - 30 cows.

Full size cows drink
about a bathtub full of water and eat around 40 pounds of forage a day.

Cattle drink water
by the use of a sucking action, they do not lap up water like a cat
or dog.

You can guess the age
of horned cattle by counting the number of rings on their horns.

Cows have 32 teeth;
6 molars on the top and bottom of each side, 8 incisors on the bottom
front, and a tough pad of skin instead of teeth on the top front.

How
to determine the age of a cow: The age
of a cow can be determined by examination of the teeth and less perfectly
by the horns. The temporary teeth are in part erupted at birth and all
the incisors are erupted within twenty days. The first, second and third
pairs of temporary molars are erupted in thirty days. The teeth have
grown large enough to touch each other by the sixth month. They gradually
wear and fall in eighteen months. The fourth permanent molars are through
at around the fourth month. The fifth at the fifteenth month and the
sixth at two years. The temporary teeth begin to fall at twenty-one
months and are entirely replaced by the thirty-ninth to the forty-fifth
month.

Like many other grazing animals
cattle have one stomach which is divided into four compartments or chambers:
the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. This allows them to digest
grain and grasses most effectively.

In a standard size breed, the
rumen holds some 50 gallons of partially digested food. Good bacteria
in the rumen helps digest the cow's food and provides protein for the
cow. This is where cud comes from. Chewing its cud is necessary for
a cow's health and survival. Proper teeth alignment, for adequate chewing,
is necessary for a cow to thrive.

Although the cud is
regurgitated, cows can’t actually vomit.

When cows digest food, rumination
(digestion / fermentation) results in a large amount of methane; cattle
produce 250 to 500 liters (and by some accounts, up to 1000 liters)
of the gas per day. According to Stanford University, (I take liberal
tax-funded university research with a bag of livestock salt, myself...)
livestock account for anywhere between 18 and 51 percent of global greenhouse
gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent.

With all of the eating
and drinking that a standard sized cow does in one day, they will urinate
about 30 gallons and produce about 60 pounds of manure. So in one year,
a cow will produce about 20,100 pounds of manure – that’s
over 10 tons.

The typical cow stands up and lays down about 14 times a day, and spends
from 10 to 12 hours a day lying down. The average sleep time of a domestic
cow is about four hours a day.

Cows are social animals, and they naturally
form herds. They don’t like to be alone. So if a cow isolates
herself, she's either not feeling well or she's about to give birth.
And like humans, cattle will make friends with some herd members, while
avoiding others. They form close bonds and spend much of their time
with 2-4 favorite individuals. They also may dislike particular individuals
and can hold grudges for years. Cows become stressed when they are separated
from their favorite friends. In a study measuring isolation, heart rates
and cortisol levels, researcher Krista McLennan concluded that, "When
heifers have their preferred partner with them, their stress levels
in terms of their heart rates are reduced compared with if they were
with a random individual."

Cows display emotions and have
been shown to produce more milk when they are treated better and as
individuals. Just like dogs, cows enjoy a good rubdown. Researchers
have found that if you name a cow and treat her as an individual, she
will produce almost 500 more pints of milk a year.

Cows show their excitement when let out
into a field after long periods confined indoors. Cattle also get excited
when they solve problems. When faced with the challenge of trying find
out how to open a door to reach food, their heartbeats went up, their
brainwaves showed excitement, and some even jumped into the air.

Cows can have regional accents. After
a group of dairy farmers noticed their cows had different moos, language
specialists determined that, "In small populations such as herds
you would encounter identifiable dialectical variations which are most
affected by the immediate peer group."

Cattle like to sleep close to their families,
and sleeping arrangements are determined by individuals’ rank in the
social hierarchy.

Cows are devoted mothers. Heifers
sometimes need help bonding the first time, if their first calf is born
with much difficulty (a lot of pain) when it's their first baby. Experienced
cows that lack mothering instinct should be culled. Good mother cows
are expected to be protective. If cows are treated properly, and are
way beyond being protective, they might need culling for poor temperament
(temperament score charts).

Cattle
are extremely curious and inquisitive, and will investigate anything
and everything.

Speed: Depending on their breed,
cattle can run up to 20 mph. A good cowhorse can sprint 40-50 mph.

Drunken rural carousers swear
by their stories of tipping over cows in the middle of the night, but
most cattlemen asssure that there's more urban myth going on than any
tipping. A 2005 study at the University of British Columbia concluded
that tipping a cow would require an exertion of 2,910 newtons of force;
meaning that a 4’7” tall cow pushed at an angle of 23.4 degrees relative
to the ground would require the equivalent strength of 4.43 people to
tip the poor thing over.

Cattle have almost 360° panoramic
vision, allowing them to watch for predators or humans from all angles.
Translation: It’s nearly impossible for would-be cow-tippers to sneak
up on them.

Cattle have an excellent sense
of smell. They can detect odors up to 6 miles away, which is helpful
in detecting imminent danger. (Cow tippers have been reported to smell
of alcohol.)

Cattle can hear both low and high frequency
sounds beyond human capability.

Cows are red-green colorblind.
In a bullfight or rodeo, its the flapping of a cape that attracts the
bull, not the red color.

A spotted cow’s spots are like a fingerprint.
No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots. They are all different.

The U.S.’s cattle herd size is shrinking.
The total cows in the US are at their lowest level since 1952.

There are about 11 million cows in America.
Texas has the most beef cows, and Wisconsin has the most dairy cows.

The hamburger debuted at the 1904
World’s Fair in St. Louis. Almost 2000 quarter pound hamburgers can
be made from the ground beef in one cow.

Christopher Columbus brought cows
to the United States as part of his second voyage in 1493, alongside
other livestock including horses and sheep. He set off on this trip
from the port of Cadiz in Spain and, after this time, European settlers
to the US brought over various different breeds of cattle when they
arrived. Another source says that the first cow in America arrived in
Jamestown colony in 1611.

Until the 1850's, nearly every
family had its own cow.

The first regular shipment of
milk by railroad was between Orange County, New York, and New York City
and began in 1841.

In 1856, Gail Borden invented the condensed
milk process. This process removed some of the water from milk so it
would take up less space. Refrigeration came into use in 1880. The first
pasteurizing machine was introduced in 1895.

The first major commercial AI
program took place in 1936 in Denmark, using more than 1000 dairy cows
& resulted in a success rate of 59% (which was interestingly better
than the natural service conception rates on that farm).

Dairying has improved through
the years. Today, one cow can produce the milk that it once took 10
cows to produce.

There are about 350 udder squirts in
a gallon of milk.

Before milking machines were invented
in 1894, farmers could only milk about 6 cows per hour. Today, farmers
use machines to milk more than 100 cows per hour.

It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make
one gallon of ice cream. It takes 21.2 pounds of whole milk to make
one pound of butter.

The natural yellow color of butter comes
mainly from beta-carotene found in the grass the cows graze on.

Hindu nations believe that cows are holy
and there are strict laws to protect them. The toughest laws are in
the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where anyone convicted there
of killing a cow or taking it somewhere to be killed can be imprisoned
up to seven years.

A high priced cow named Missy
brought $1.2 million at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2009.
|

The Wild Cattle of ChillinghamUrbanGhostsMedia.com/2015/02/wild-lives-10-unusual-animals-habitats-world-nature

The
Chillingham cattle are thought to be the only survivors of herds
of wild cattle that once roamed freely through the forests of
Great Britain. In modern times, now only a modest herd of these
animals live in a beautiful enclosed 365 acre parkland at Chillingham
in Northumberland which has been their home since the 13th century.

At one time, vast herds of wild cattle roamed Britain. Today,
their only descendants are the Wild Cattle of Chillingham; numbering
from 80 - 100, the cattle live in an protected, enclosed sanctuary
in Northumberland.

The Chillingham cattle are one of
the rarest animals on earth; they have remained genetically isolated
from other breed of cattle. These cattle still retain the same
DNA that they’ve carried for centuries. They’re also
something of a scientific curiosity – every member of the
herd is genetically identical. But breeding and calving continues
as it has since the Middle Ages.

The careful conservation of these
cattle has shown that their numbers are growing. Every year, there
are a few more calves born than there was the last; 60 years ago,
there were only 13 individuals remaining.

The Chillingham herd has been under
the watchful eye of concerned conservationists since about 1860.
Breeding records, numbers and behavioral traits have been recorded
for more than 100 years, providing an outstanding look at their
behavior. Most animals bear the scars of fighting, male and female
– males, fighting for the right to breed, females often
fighting for the lives of their calves.

The Wild Cattle of Chillingham. ChillinghamWildCattle.com/days-out
Chillingham offers an outstanding day out in one of the most beautiful
parts of Northumbria. Your first scary experience is a visit to
the truly wild cattle. These unique beasts fight for the chance
to mate. Fights between bulls can be ferocious and it is not unusual
for one to be badly wounded or even killed. The guided tours take
you close, but not too close, to these extraordinary animals.
Then visit England’s
most haunted castle for lunch or coffee. Brace yourself for a
terrifying tour of a real castle; fearsome torture chamber, eerie
dungeon and magnificent state rooms. If you’re really brave,
join a nerve-jangling night time ghost tour. Toilets and refreshments
available at Chilingham Castle.

The Wild Cattle of Chillingham are
remarkable survivors of the
ancient cattle which once roamed Britain’s
forests. Today they live in the beautiful enclosed Park at Chillingham,
between Alnwick and Bamburgh in Northumberland, their home for
hundreds of years.The herd numbers around 100 beasts. About half
of them are bulls. All cows and bulls have horns and a fierce
temperament to match. These remarkable wild beasts are completely
untamed. They have never been touched by human hand; no vet has
ever treated one.

Farm
Idioms Quiz Not your children's farm quiz.
Welcome to a quiz that combines the urbane study of idiomatic
history with the English language's seemingly endless capacity
for rural imagery. All of the following questions are concerned
with farms and the animals who inhabit them. ~ Merriam-Webster